ST. CLOUD — It’s no secret Wisconsin is known for beer. It’s also obviously known for cheese. But you know what? It also grows better than almost any place in the world. Giant pumpkins.
The Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers, an educational organization dedicated to growing giant fruits, consistently grow some of the biggest pumpkins in the country every year.
However, this year, things were a bit different.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed I didn’t hit the benchmarks I wanted, and you know, you kind of just got to use that as motivation for next year," Derek Sippel, a giant pumpkin grower, said.
His giant gourd didn't even eclipse the 2,000-pound mark. His final weight was 1,944 pounds. To the average person, that's impressive. But for a seasoned veteran like him, that's missing the mark. It's actually 438 pounds lighter than his personal record.
“So there’s so many factors that go into growing giant pumpkins. I mean, weather, seed genetics, animals, critters. Like, there’s so many things that have to go right to grow them this size," Sippel said.
He is a farmer who lives in St. Cloud, Fond du Lac County. He owns Airy Point Farms. That's where the pumpkin is on display. They grow seasonal pumpkins and flowers for people to pick.
So many giant pumpkins come from the Badger State because Wisconsin is located on the pumpkin belt. It's a region of the country that produces the right environmental conditions to grow giant pumpkins.
I’ve been chronicling many of the giant pumpkins grown in the state over the past few years (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020), and the benchmark keeps getting higher. That’s why I said 2,000 pounds is kind of small. These growers are going bigger and bigger every year.
Watch the story to see more of the giant pumpkin...
“You know, they’re weighing pumpkins over 3,000 pounds now, so it really is very competitive," Sippel said.
At least Sippel can say he beat his brother, who grew a pumpkin that’s just 1,756 pounds.
A fun fact about giant pumpkins is that, at their peak, they grow about 50 pounds a day.
“It’s just crazy to see what, you know, just nature do that," Sippel said.
Now, there are probably some people thinking, ‘oh, you could make a lot of pumpkin pie out of that,’ right? Not at all. These pumpkins are jacked up with nutrients. They are not meant for eating.
The next step for Sippel is to harvest the seeds to grow giant pumpkins next year. It's all about genetics.
“At the end of the season, getting the seeds out is kind of the next thing on the list. Harvest those seeds and give them to people who are interested in growing giant pumpkins," he said.
Sippel's giant gourd and his brother's pumpkin will be on display for the next week or so at Airy Point Farms.
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